Scarcity and surfeit : the ecology of Africa's conflicts

(Michael S) #1

250 Scarcity and Surfeit


import items through the port of Djibouti instead of subsidising the refinery
in Assab. Border trade issues along the Tigrean and Eritrean border also
proved to be contentious because of the requirement of payment for
Ethiopian goods in hard currency. Even before the two governments came to
power in the early 1990% some argue there were political and ideological dif-
ferences between them, exacerbated by their ascent to power.22
It is interesting to note that one of the contested areas, Bada, which is found
in the Afar Depression, is an irrigated area with four villages. Historically,
Eritrea administers two villages and Ethiopia administers two villages. A wadi
(seasonal river) divides the villages administered by Ethiopia and Eritrea, and
was formerly accepted as the boundary. The water was allocated between the
communities - 75% for the Eritrean side and 25% for the Ethiopian side.
Before the fall of the Dergue, Bada was administered jointly by the EPLF (the
Eritrea side) and by the TPLF (the Tigrean side). After the defeat of the Dergue,
the Bada area was left undefended, and the Afar National Liberation Front
(ANLF) and the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Front controlled the area from



  1. After 1991 both the Eritrean and the Ethiopian government were fighting
    the Afar liberation forces to gain control of the area. In July 1997, Ethiopian
    forces moved into the area but subsequently withdrew. The Eritrean govern-
    ment refers to Ethiopian occupation of Bada as one of its justifications to occu-
    py Badme and other disputed villages on the border.23
    Soon after the military control by Eritrea of the border areas it claimed to
    be its own, Ethiopia sought a peaceful solution to the crisis. Rwanda and the
    United States facilitated an attempt to peacefully reconcile the two sides that
    included a series of consultations between the two countries, a set of recom-
    mendations and a general implementation plan.
    On 4 June 1998, the Ethiopian government announced that it accepted the
    facilitators' proposals. However, though the Eritrean government stated that
    the recommendations formed a good basis for a comprehensive solution, the
    process could not be finalised. At the 38th session of the Assembly of Heads of
    State and Governments of the Organisation for African Unity (OAU), the sum-
    mit endorsed the proposals made by the facilitators and decided to send a del-
    egation of heads of state to Addis Abaha and Asmara to investigate the cause
    of the dispute and to advance the facilitators' plan for a peaceful settlement.
    After a series of talks with both sides, it was apparent that although both
    sides accepted the peaceful resolution of the dispute in principle, Eritrea's
    unconditional withdrawal from the territories it occupied from 6 May onwards
    remained a sticking point. Ethiopia demanded that Eritrea should withdraw
    from the territories it invaded before meaningful negotiations for peace could
    proceed. Eritrea demanded the demilitarisation of the entire border between the
    two countries without agreeing to withdrawal from the territories it occupied.
    The OAU mission continued with its efforts to develop a peace plan with
    a Committee of Ambassadors coordinating talks with both countries from

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